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Mr. Dolan explained that a district becomes a definable geographic area that is generally elevated in profile by virtue of having a boundary. It creates a substantive difference in terms of regulation in that it tends to be more inclusive, acknowledging both historical resources and properties that contribute to a historical resource within the local district. Mayor Thorne opened the item for public comment. Mike Carey identified himself as both a real estate professional and downtown property owner. He strongly encouraged the City to follow several applicants through the process for renovating an older home before making any sort of determination on whether or how to change it. He said that applying more a burdensome, lengthy and expensive process to historic structures carries the same risk of stifling development whether applied to residential or commercial structures and asked that residential properties enjoy the same exclusion. He referred to the Redcoats building, which sat boarded up for several years because the owner decided it was easier to let it sit vacant then deal with the City's process. He said a streamlined process, which singles out neither residential nor commercial properties, is the best path to supporting positive growth and investment in the downtown. Linda Frank expressed her disappointment that the community was not involved in this process until now. She felt that property owners by and large do an excellent job of caring for their environment and their investment and that this care and attention does not warrant the level of review being proposed by the task force. She said there are more pressing issues for the City to address, such as the fact that it has only one officer to respond to violations across the entire city or that the onus of reporting problems is placed on residents. She said it was ridiculous to exclude certain types of properties and noted that both Kottinger Barn and the old underground railroad are worthy of restoration. She said she would like to make certain accessibility improvements to her property but cannot afford the additional survey costs, which a Mills Act program would do little to offset. Chris Beratlis said Pleasanton has developed nicely under the current rules. He said he is opposed to the establishment of a historic district or additional regulations for both comrrercial and residential properties. Brian Moret echoed the comments of previous speakers and said he and his family opposed the inclusion of commercial properties in any part of this process. Andrew Shaper said he has spent considerable time and effort restoring his historic Division Street home and values the history, look and feel of the downtown. He expressed strong support for the intent and design guidelines of the existing Downtown Specific Plan but said he strongly opposed the recommended historic district and any additional regulations. He said the economic rationale applied to commercial properties also applies to residential properties and cautioned that he would request judicial review if the value of his own property were jeopardized in any way by additional restrictions. He asked that the City look at effectively implementing or enforcing its existing standards rather than creating new. He also noted several errors in the historical context statement. Louis Rivara said he could support some refinement of the existing specific plan language but no more. He agreed that the community is generally effective at preserving the city's unique historic integrity and, while their choices don't always match his personal preference, he did not believe they did any harm to the city. He said he did not support any change that would make the process any more difficult or costly and asked that residential and commercial properties be treated equally. Olivia Sanwong said her Division Street home was constructed in 1912 and its loving restoration adds to the charm of the neighborhood and helps to preserve the character of the downtown. She stressed the importance of preparing a comprehensive survey and adopting a framework and guidelines that make continued preservation a clear and easy to follow process. City Council Minutes Page 7 of 16 June 4,2013